From 1998: Martha Gellhorn, Daring Writer, Dies at 89

One of the first female war correspondents, she covered a dozen major conflicts during a career that spanned more than six decades.

This obituary was originally published on Feb. 17, 1998. It is being republished for a package for Women’s History Month.

Martha Ellis Gellhorn, who as one of the first female war correspondents covered a dozen major conflicts in a writing career spanning more than six decades, died on Sunday at her home in London. She was 89.

Ms. Gellhorn was a cocky, raspy-voiced maverick who saw herself as a champion of ordinary people trapped in conflicts created by the rich and powerful. That she was known to many largely because of her marriage to Ernest Hemingway, from 1940 to 1945, caused her unending irritation, especially when critics tried to find parallels between her lean writing style and that of her more celebrated husband.